


Five Dollar Bill

by Snow



Category: Troubleshooter Inc. - Brockmann
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Community: au_bingo, M/M, Prohibition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-03
Updated: 2010-07-03
Packaged: 2017-10-10 09:11:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/98023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snow/pseuds/Snow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin hadn't meant to get involved in the liquor smuggling business.  He had been of the opinion that despite how close he might be to the border what the States did was entirely their business, as long as Prohibition stayed far away from Canada.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Dollar Bill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mjules](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mjules/gifts).



> Suggested by the lovely frenetic, at the top of her lungs. Also betaed by her. \o/ Any remaining mistakes are my own.
> 
> A little too Western, but that's what happens when I write fic while listening to Country.

Robin hadn't meant to get involved in the liquor smuggling business. He had been of the opinion that despite how close he might be to the border, what the States did was entirely their business - as long as Prohibition stayed far away from Canada. But his sister needed medical help, and he couldn't afford the bills for the doctor, with the cattle market as down as it currently was.

So Robin had sold a quarter of his cattle to buy gin, told Jane some vague excuse he couldn't now remember, and headed south, his Colt loaded and a prayer that he wouldn't meet trouble on his lips.

Robin had friends who had ridden over the border dozens of times and never met with the sort of trouble that could be bribed away with a share of the alcohol they were smuggling. Still, it shouldn't have been a surprise that his first time down he met with trouble of the small-town sheriff variety.

There was a pistol trained on him, so Robin didn't even think about drawing his own Colt. It wasn't like he was a half-decent shot with it even on the non-moving glass bottles his father had always told him to practice with; he didn't even want to think about shooting a person.

* * *

Jules trained his gun on the stranger. Probably another Canadian, riding over the border with some whiskey and the hope of making a quick dollar at the expense of American law and order.

"Off the horse," he shouted.

"I'm going to throw you my gun," the man shouted back as he dismounted, then proceeded to do exactly that.

If this was some kind of trick, Jules couldn't figure out how it would work. The ground favored him, and Jules'd been watching the man long enough to know that he was on his own. Jules scooped up the other man's gun without taking his hand off his own and checked that the safety was enabled.

"Okay, I'm off the horse now." The man wasn't just off the horse, he was carefully keeping his hands above his head and away from his pockets, as he knelt on the ground.

Jules let himself comb the other man with his eyes, without even bothering to tell himself that he was just checking for signs of another weapon. Jules couldn't figure out what the man's game was, if it weren't for the fact that he was acting downright guilty Jules might think that he wasn't actually a bootlegger. He was far too cooperative.

* * *

Robin wasn't expecting trouble to look so attractive, but now that it was here he was torn between wanting the sheriff to just get this over with now and wanting to put off the humiliation for as long as possible. He didn't think the amount of liquor he was holding would earn him anything less than a couple of years in prison, or the payment of a substantial fine. At least if Robin was in jail he wouldn't have to deal with Jane's disappointed face. Although if he couldn't get back to her with the money she needed, she might well die. The reason Robin had thought this was worth the risk in the first place was the same reason he couldn't actually afford to face the consequences.

The sheriff had ridden up closer now and was currently patting Robin down, checking for another gun, Robin supposed. He wouldn't find one.

Robin could feel the confusion radiating off the sheriff, which in turn confused him. The other man must meet with bootleggers all the time.

The sheriff moved away, and suppressed what Robin thought was a snort when he neared Robin's horse. "Care to explain to me what you think you're doing?"

Robin ran a careful hand through his hair, only realizing after he started how that made the sheriff tense up. _Good idea, Robin, antagonize the lawman_. "I should think that would be obvious." Robin didn't want to point out the alcohol on the off-chance the sheriff had missed it. Not that that seemed likely, but Robin thought it wouldn't hurt to be optimistic.

"Yeah. Also obvious is that you're doing it all wrong. The mark-up on gin is half what it is on rye whiskey."

Robin turned to look up at the sheriff in bafflement.

* * *

Jules had to keep himself from meeting the man's eyes, because he had a suspicion he wouldn't easily be able to look away again. "Which leaves the question of what you're doing."

"I need the money." The man was trying to force eye contact, but Jules didn't let him succeed.

If the man was looking for a way to antagonize Jules, he had found it. "There are plenty of ways to earn money without breaking any laws."

The man tilted his head, drawing Jules' eyes to his. "I tried everything else I thought would work. But my sister's in the hospital, and-" It was the way he cut himself off, as if ashamed, that made Jules think he might be telling the truth.

"And you decided to just buy some gin off the shelf and high-tail it across the border."

"Yes." Jules could certainly admire the man's willingness to acknowledge when he was caught.

Jules smiled, in spite of all the reasons he knew he shouldn't. "Let's start over. I'm Jules. You can stand up if you want."

* * *

Robin stood, just as confused as he thought he could be. "Robin," he said, because it wasn't like the sheriff didn't have the right to demand his name at any point he wanted.

Jules laughed. "Here's the deal. I don't think you made the right choice, but I understand that you didn't think you had much of one." The sheriff certainly understood the situation, though Robin failed to see how that would help him. Jules sighed now, a sound that seemed more conflicted than Robin thought it would be. As it had been explained to Robin, either lawmen were corrupt or they weren't. Jules seemed to fall firmly in the non-corrupt category, apart for the way he kept pausing to consider Robin. "So I'm going to give you another chance."

Robin couldn't help himself from making the sound he did: half confusion and half pleading.

Jules took a very obvious, deep breath. "I could confiscate the gin, but if I did my deputies would just drink it themselves. And that's not the kind of thing that sits well with the good people of Havre. So I'm going to advise that you take your goods and head back to Canada. Find some other way to pay the hospital bill."

Robin dropped his gaze to stare at his feet, then, and before he knew what he was saying, he spoke. "They won't admit her without proof that I can pay." He was such an idiot, and he knew that if he had any common sense he would be halfway back to Alberta by now, instead of whining to some American sheriff, just because he seemed like a half-decent man.

* * *

Jules sighed, for what felt like the hundredth time this conversation. Why couldn't Robin see that he was already being more than generous? "Then take out a loan."

"Don't have the credit to my name. They told me no." Apparently having decided to confide in Jules that his sister needed medical help made Robin willing to share all the details as well.

"I could get a loan." Jules was a little dismayed that he'd said that out loud, but it wasn't the worst thought he could have vocalized. Hell, he probably had enough money on his own to pay most hospital bills that would come up, certainly anything that Robin would think could be paid by smuggling the alcohol now.

"You don't know anything about me." Which was true. All Jules knew was that Robin was desperate enough to attempt bootlegging and hadn't planned enough to do it the right way.

"There is that. But I should be the one whose common sense tells him no, not you."

"Honestly, I just need a little more than I have now." Robin met Jules' eyes again, and Jules was reminded of nothing more than a puppy, who'd been kicked a couple of times but still thought someone might throw him a bone. "I wouldn't need you to sign for much."

"How much, honey?" Jules couldn't believe he'd let either part of that slip out, but Robin only noticed the first.

"Seventy-five."

"Canadian?"

"Yes."

Jules told himself he should be considering the matter very carefully, but the truth was that he'd made his decision. "I'll do it," he said.

"Really?" There was such optimism and trust in his voice, and Jules was a tiny bit proud of himself for putting it there.

"Really."


End file.
